


Nacre

by garrideb



Category: Avengers (Comic), Marvel, Marvel 616
Genre: Community: heroines_fest, F/F, Femslash, First Kiss, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-07
Updated: 2011-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-22 08:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/236317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garrideb/pseuds/garrideb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carol is leaving the Avengers again. Wanda won't let history repeat itself.  Written: 10/2009</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nacre

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ballpoint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ballpoint/gifts).



> This was originally posted to heroines-fest.livejournal.com [here](http://heroines-fest.livejournal.com/8566.html).

Carol was leaving again.

Wanda stood at the window of the mansion’s library, holding one of the heavy curtains to the side so she could see the driveway. It was a bright day, and Wanda felt like a voyeur looking out from the dark room. She could have opened the curtains, she supposed, even wave to Carol as she put a suitcase in the back of a black SUV. Carol wouldn’t mind - she might even smile and wave back. But Wanda didn’t want to be seen. She just wanted to watch and wonder what was going through her teammate’s mind.

She wondered if Carol’s decision to leave had been sudden, or if she had been planning on this for awhile. Perhaps the President’s job offer had simply been an opportunity Carol had been waiting for. It had certainly seemed sudden to Wanda, but it had been proven before that Wanda could be terribly blind when it came to reading Carol. Wanda’s powers were immense, but they had limits. She could play with probabilities and tap into the magic running through reality like veins of gold in solid stone, but she could rarely tell what Carol was feeling.

Sure, Carol sometimes let her guard down, but those moments were few and far between. Last night had not been one of those moments.

Wanda and the Vision had returned from the hospital late. Their main purpose behind the visit was to see to the orphaned boy Captain America had found when they had first arrived at the Red Zone. But the hospital had been crowded - filled beyond capacity - and it had been impossible to slip in and out unnoticed. They had ended up going room to room, smiling at survivors and answering questions. Mostly, “Is it over?”

She’d been exhausted when she had returned to the mansion. Captain America and Warbird had been sitting on a sofa together, talking quietly while muted news coverage played on the flat screen TV. Cap had looked even more exhausted than Wanda felt. Carol had looked like she was preparing for another battle. When Wanda and the Vision had entered the room, Cap had smiled at Carol and asked, “Do you want to share the good news, or should I?”

“Go ahead,” Carol had said, suspiciously casual.

“The President has offered Carol the position of Chief Field Leader of Homeland Security.” There had been pride in Cap’s voice. The statement had made Wanda feel empty and uneasy, but she had kept up a polite smile for both Cap’s and Carol’s sakes.

Carol had leaned forward, resting her folded arms across her legs. There had been a sudden intensity about her body language. “And I’ve accepted it.”

“Oh,” Wanda had said.

There was so much she had wanted to say, but it all seemed so wrongly timed. Perhaps, if this had been the first time Carol had left, Wanda could have told her how much she admired her. How, even before she knew Ms. Marvel’s identity, she had known that the masked warrior was strong and brave enough to be the kind of woman Wanda wasn’t; the kind of woman who could face the world by herself instead of always being part of a team. How, when she had learned Ms. Marvel’s identity (and after the dust had settled and Carol was gone) Wanda had tracked down old issues of Woman Magazine just to read Carol’s editorials. How Wanda could face super villains with aplomb, but the idea of running a controversial magazine left her in awe, and so did Carol.

She had wanted to say all this while she still could. But as it was, Carol had left before - once in tragedy, and once in disgrace - and Wanda worried that the things she wanted to say would sound trite.

Vision had offered his congratulations while Wanda had stared at Carol’s clasped hands. She actually had the chance to say goodbye this time, and she had known she was squandering it. When Cap and Carol had both looked at her, she had stammered out, “I’ll miss you.”

Carol had given a careful smile. The corners of her mouth had raised just enough to seem polite. “I’ll miss you too, Wanda.”

“I will feel safer knowing you’re running things.”

The corners of her mouth had raised a fraction more. “Thanks. And I want you to know that I’ll still be searching for Jen.”

“That’s good. Just... good luck.”

And then Wanda had left for her room. That had been three days ago. They’d exchanged a few words since then, and Wanda had said a slightly longer goodbye that morning at breakfast.

Now Carol was standing next to the driver’s door of the SUV, leaning slightly into the open window and talking. Giving instructions, Wanda thought and smiled, looking away. She didn’t want to start missing Carol before the other woman had even left the mansion's grounds.

At least she had some comfort; unlike the last two times, she knew she could still see Carol. It wouldn’t be the same as living down the hall from her, though. To be an active Avenger was to be part of a close-knit family, and leaving changed all that. They would lose a vital part of their bond.

A shadow fell across the window, and Wanda looked up, startled. Something that resembled a thick bank of fog was sweeping the yard. It wasn’t just covering the lawn in a mist, though; it was leaving behind an altered landscape. The SUV vanished as the fog swept past Carol, but the blonde woman didn’t notice. She had changed too, disappearing and reappearing simultaneously in tendrils of fog, so that for a split second parts of her were in two different spots on the driveway. After a moment only the new Carol remained, although the image was indistinct and wispy.

The new Carol - no, not new, Wanda realized - was walking out of the front gate, a single suitcase in her hand. Her outfit was different. She was wearing jeans and a light blue t-shirt instead of her Warbird costume. From this distance, Wanda was only sure it was Carol from her blonde ponytail and the defiant set of her shoulders.

The fog hit the side of the mansion and curled against the wall. Wanda felt something wet on her face. Tentatively she reached up and touched her cheek. It was a teardrop, and it was moving as if traveling backwards in time. Wanda could feel it falling up, leaving dry skin in its wake.

She blinked and for a moment the distortion solidified, firm as reality. Wanda was staring out at Carol, unshed tears burning in her eyes. She knew she was going to cry. Carol had quit in anger only minutes ago, bringing her court martial to an abrupt end. Carol needed help and support, and the Avengers had effectively driven her out. Perhaps the Avengers’ intentions would hit home and Carol would acknowledge her drinking problem, but more likely they had just condemned Carol to a longer and lonelier struggle.

The tears were on the point of falling when they - along with the anguish in her chest - evaporated. Carol was no longer fleeing in disgrace below. She was once again climbing into the back seat of the black SUV.

Wanda sat stunned a moment longer. Had that been a vision? Or some kind of augmented memory? She often thought about the day the Avengers had court-martialed Carol, but she’d never relived them so vividly. Something supernatural had caused that.

She shivered, remembering the things she’d seen in her tarot cards when Order and Chaos had been unlocked. She knew better than to ignore a vision, if that was what this was.

Almost panicked at the sight of Carol reaching out to shut the car door behind her, Wanda rapped loudly on the window pane. Carol didn’t seem to hear, though, so Wanda pushed the curtain aside and fumbled to open the window. “Carol!” She called out, and readied a hex in case the SUV started to leave.

Carol looked up sharply and stepped back out of the SUV. “Wanda?” She called up uncertainly.

“Carol, I need to talk to you!” Wanda shouted down, and although she tried to keep the desperation from her voice, it didn’t quite work. Obviously alarmed, Carol didn’t wait for Wanda to come outside or to even run inside herself. She took a few steps and then took to the air, flying to the library window.

“Wanda, what’s wrong?” Carol hovered closer, frowning. “Have you been crying?”

“No.” Wanda laughed, a bit giddy with nerves. “Well, yes, but it was a long time ago. We’re a bit overdue for this conversation, I’m afraid.”

“What conversation? Wanda, are you okay? “ She tried to peer past Wanda. “Are you alone?”

“Yes. It’s just you and me. And that’s what we need to talk about. I don’t want to talk you out of your job, but I don’t want to pretend to that I’m not scared for you. Can I say that without sounding patronizing? I’m not ready to see you leave.”

Carol had a somewhat stunned expression. Wanda supposed it had taken Carol a moment to realize that she had flown to a teammate with emotions to lay bare rather than a teammate in danger. A cruel thing to spring on anyone, but Wanda didn’t feel she had a choice. “Yes,” Carol finally replied, her expression warming. “You can say that.”

“Will you please stay a little longer? I know Homeland Security is very important, but this is important too. I need to take you out to dinner, and I need to have this... this overdue conversation with you. We’re already late, and I don’t want it to be any later, because then I’m afraid it just won’t happen.”

There was a pause as Wanda’s rushed words sank in. Carol glanced back at the waiting SUV before meeting Wanda’s eyes. “I can... I can stay for dinner. I’m in the mood for seafood.”

Wanda felt dizzy with relief. She could barely believe this was finally happening. “Seafood it is. Seven O’Clock?”

Carol stuck her arm through the open window, and Wanda took her hand and shook it. She let go of the curtains in the process, and they billowed around her. “It’s a date,” Carol replied, and Wanda knew this time would be different. It had to be, because Wanda would not let history repeat itself anymore.

The beautiful weather held, so they chose to eat out on the cafe’s small patio. It was a nice place but not too fancy, which suited them both. Neither were the type to dress up for a meal. All the same, Wanda had second-guessed her own choice of restaurant. This was a special occasion, after all - at the least, a fond goodbye, at the most, a turning point in their friendship.

Maybe Carol would better understand the significance of this dinner if Wanda chose a five-star restaurant. On the other hand, Wanda didn’t want to get weighed down by formalities. She needed to be comfortable. She had almost decided to take Carol to the Transian cafe where Wanda frequented and sometimes even danced. Wanda could definitely be herself there, but she worried that Carol would feel out of place. This dinner was about both of them after all, so they needed to be on equal footing.

She glanced around the patio. It was a Tuesday night, so the place wasn’t exactly hopping. She took note of the other patrons - a habit she’d picked up during her turbulent childhood and honed during her years with the Avengers. There was a family with two young boys, a group of five college aged people, and three separate couples. Wanda wondered if anyone in the restaurant had assumed that she and Carol were a couple.

She turned her attention back to Carol, who was studying the menu. She looked very much the high-powered business woman in gray slacks and a plum colored sleeveless silk shirt that draped attractively over her broad shoulders. Wanda guessed that they looked like a mismatched pair, as she was wearing a long skirt and a peasant blouse.

Wanda couldn’t help noticing the bag that Carol had brought with her - it was large and looked rather heavy. She wondered if Carol had brought a laptop.

There were tea candles in squat, red candle holders in the center of each table, and they’d already been lit even though it was still bright outside. Carol still had her sunglasses on, though Wanda hoped the dinner would last long enough into the evening that Carol would take them off. She liked to see her eyes.

In that vein, Wanda ordered them an appetizer when the waitress came by. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said after the waitress had left. “I like sampler platters. It's nice to try a little bit of everything.”

“How hedonistic,” Carol remarked with a cheeky smile.

“No, no - that would be if I wanted a lot of everything. I only want a little of everything.”

“Ah.”

“It’s as my friend Starvos says,” and here Wanda cleared her throat and continued in a lower, gravely voice, “Variety is the spice of life, Wanda. Keeps things interesting. If you stick to one thing, you’ll never know what you’re missing. You’ll never know what a good husband I’d be.”

Carol laughed, delighting Wanda. This was the most relaxed Wanda had seen her since the red zone disaster.

“Isn’t that supposed to be a curse, though? ‘May you live in interesting times’?” Carol countered.

Wanda shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what uninteresting times even look like, so it’s hard to say if we’re blessed or cursed.”

“Don’t you wish for less of a chaotic life? I know you’ve tried to step back from all of this before.”

“I’ve tried, but this is where I’ve ended up. Yes, it’s chaotic and sometimes very hard, but I don’t feel cursed. Maybe as a user of chaos magic I’m biased.”

“I’m sure you feel cursed as it’s happening, at least a little bit." Carol protested. "Sure, it might make us who we are, but no one wants chaos, whether it’s a flat tire or a super villain playing Survivor with Earth’s capitol cities.”

Wanda conceded with a nod. She wanted to insist that she didn’t regret all the hardships she’d been through, but maybe Carol did, and maybe Carol did feel cursed. She couldn't compare her own struggles to Carol's. Wanda was afraid of coming off as patronizing if she kept pushing her optimistic view. She knew how much Carol hated being talked down to, even if it was unintentional. And Carol was at least somewhat right about their chaotic lives; Wanda had felt cursed in the midst of her biggest tragedies. It was only looking back that she could feel okay and even happy.

With excellent timing the sampler platter arrived. There were a few of everything including crab legs, oysters, shrimp and fish. As Wanda trailed her eyes across the various offerings of seafood an idea struck her. She wanted to put her chaos magic in a good light for Carol, and maybe just show off a bit. Mostly she just wanted to make her smile.

Some people described her hex powers as ‘making things go wrong’, which was fairly accurate, at least in combat. The best way to fight an enemy with her powers was to increase the chances of their weapons misfiring, or their machines rusting or exploding. Her powers could essentially introduce an element that already had a chance of existing, such as moisture for a rusted gun or a faulty circuit for a robot.

Those elements didn’t have to be destructive, though. A grain of sand could destroy a machine, but it could also be an element of creation. Things could ‘go wrong’ in good ways.

While Carol was focusing on the large piece of shrimp she was eating, Wanda summoned a hex and quickly directed it at an oyster on the platter. There was a brief flash of light. Carol looked up. “What was that?”

Wanda frowned slightly. “I think a leaf fell into our candle.”

Carol raised an eyebrow as she obliviously double-dipped her shrimp into the cocktail sauce. “Are you going to help me eat this or just stare at it?”

Wanda smiled and reached for a crab leg. Appeased, Carol picked up an oyster and used her fork to dig the muscle out of the shell. Something caught her eye and she put down her fork to pull something out of the oyster.

“Wow,” she said softly as she lifted out a pearl. “I don’t believe it.” She slipped it into her mouth to clean it and then lifted it to the light. It was small and perfectly round, and in the evening light the shiny white surface seemed to hold a multitude of colors. “It’s gorgeous.” she breathed, handing it over to Wanda. “What are the chances?”

“Very rare, I’d say,” Wanda replied. She looked at it closely and then handed it back, pleased. “Maybe it’s a sign of good luck.”

Carol rolled the pearl between her fingers, the smile still on her lips. When her fingers stilled, she removed her sunglasses with her other hand and studied the pearl a moment longer. “Do you remember when we first met?” She asked.

“I certainly do. You made quite the entrance when you barged into Avengers mansion.”

Carol chuckled. “I’ve always lacked subtlety.”

“You were in a rush. You were worried about rescuing Namorita.”

“Good memory.”

Wanda hesitated. “Well, I wasn’t kidding about you making an entrance. You were beautiful, strong, a skilled fighter, and in pursuit of a nobel cause. Not to mention your ability in the lab we loaned you. I think I developed a crush on the spot.”

The smile slowly died on Carol’s lips. “It must have been disappointing to see me fall so far.”

“No,” Wanda stammered. “I mean, of course it hurt. It hurt seeing you hurt, that is, not being disappointed, because I...” She almost said, because I wasn’t, but that was a lie and Carol would know. She took a breath and tried again. “When you joined the Avengers after the business with Morgan Le Fey, we were friends, but we were like trains going in opposite directions. You were so eager to be an Avenger, and I felt disconnected and was looking for a reason to leave. Once again I was too self-centered to see beyond myself. I could tell something was wrong, but I never tried to understand what it was."

“Wanda,” Carol said slowly. “My problems - my drinking and hiding the loss of my powers - those were not your fault.”

“I know, but I wasn’t there for you as a friend.”

Carol sighed, looking away. “I was angry and paranoid that you were all looking for an excuse to kick me off the team. I wasn’t about to confide in anyone.”

“I guess that’s my biggest regret, then. That you didn’t know that I wouldn’t have thought less of you. That you didn’t know how much I wanted you on the Avengers with me. That you didn’t know how much I needed you. And that you didn’t know because I never told you.”

Carol twisted her napkin between her fingers. “You can’t imagine the place I was in, Wanda. I could barely admit my problems to myself, and I don’t just mean my drinking. Even with hard evidence, I tried to tell myself that my powers were coming back. Every day I deluded myself that my problems would just... resolve, without any effort on my part. I thought no one would have to know how low I’d sunk. I thought lying to everyone was the only option.”

“Still, I wish...” Wanda shook her head. “No, I just want you to know now. There is nothing you can tell me that would make me think less of you. I never want you to leave me in the dark. I can’t promise I’ll ever be especially helpful, but I won’t make the mistakes I made in the past.”

For a moment Carol stared down at her plate, blinking rapidly. When she looked up her eyes were wet and shining. “Okay. You’ll be my one phone call.”

Wanda grinned. A weight that had lived in her chest for years was lifting. The main courses arrived, and Wanda dug in with a renewed appetite. “That’s better,” Carol remarked. “You were making me feel like a slob, the way you were nibbling on your food before.”

“You should have seen my table manners when I was a child. I would try to race Pietro through a meal. As you can imagine, it never ended well for me.”

The rest of the meal went by quickly. Soon the glow of the candle was visible against Carol’s face, and the shadows became more and more pronounced.

Wanda paid the check. Carol picked up her bag, and the two women left the patio dining area. The inside of the restaurant was no brighter than outside. The ceiling was low and the walls and floor were made of a dark wood. The artwork’s nautical theme came as no surprise.

They passed a narrow hallway that led to the bathrooms, and Carol pulled Wanda over. She opened her bag and pulled out a thick stack of papers which she handed to her friend. “Just a going-away kind of thing,” she explained. She was standing in front of an oil painting of a ship plowing through a wave, and the flying water framed her head.

Wanda looked down at the papers in her hand. The first page said, in a large sans-serif font, ‘Untitled by Carol Danvers’. She looked back up.

Carol shrugged. “I really suck at titles.”

“Is this a novel?”

Carol nodded.

“That you wrote?”

Another nod. When she did that, the sails of the ship appeared and disappeared behind her blonde hair. “It’s sci-fi adventure. I know that’s not everyone’s thing, but I hope you’ll give it a chance. Keep in mind that I’m still editing it.”

Wanda flipped through the papers, idly catching names and phrases. “Of course,” she told Carol. “I’m going to-”

She broke off as the manuscript in her hands changed. She was now holding a finished, bound book with a glossy jacket. She was already turned to the inside back cover. There on the jacket was a picture of Carol. Beneath the picture it read, ‘Carol is the author of two previous bestsellers. She lives in New York City with her cat, Chewbacca.’ Wanda blinked, and for a split second she swore the last sentence changed. ‘She lives in New York City with her partner-’

“What? You’re going to what?”

The weight in her hands was once again a rough manuscript. Wanda ran her thumb across the slightly uneven edge, feeling the pages flip past her nail like the pictures in a nickelodeon. This was it. She was sure that these visions were showing her that this was her chance to change her life, and Carol's as well. She carefully set the manuscript down and said, “I’m going to kiss you.”

Carol put a hand on Wanda’s chest, holding her back. “Is this a goodbye kiss?”

“Not even slightly.”

Carol moved her hand back around Wanda’s neck, cupping it and pulling their heads closer. She rested her forehead on Wanda’s while she stroked Wanda’s nape. “Thank you for dinner,” she whispered, and kissed her.


End file.
